A homeless shelter wrote an amicus brief in the Grant’s Pass case.
They argued SCOTUS should let the city arrest the homeless because, and I am not shitting you, the ban on doing so meant less people were willing to abide by their “two church services a day and no sex” requirement to sleep inside.
Gorsuch literally wrote, in almost those exact same words, "In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread."
The Grant’s Pass Rescue Mission: “Pardon me, as the only shelter in this town we have a vested interest in allowing the government to threaten these people with arrest if they don’t want to join our church.”
Here’s a link to the Amicus brief the Grant’s Pass Gospel Rescue Mission filed. Yes, it is literally just “The cops should be able to force homeless people to choose between our program or charges.”
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23...
I would like you to imagine me doing the John Oliver shocked/excitable face with an infographic of their logo above and to the side of my right shoulder.
Reminds me of like this one rescue mission I was at in Charlotte, NC a couple of years ago. Guy running it kicked me out because I wanted to find a way to fundraise for his church online instead of, you know, standing in the middle of a busy intersection handing out pamphlets and dodging cars.
The rules include not having sex even if you are married, and families will be split up, with men and women/children being housed in separate facilities. You are also expected to work at jobs assigned by the organization. It's not clear if there is any pay for this work.
Wanna take any bets on which high control Christian denomination they are before I try to find it? The possibilities are obviously endless, but for some reason it’s giving Free Will Baptist for me.
The group they are associated with is the “Church of the Valley” which appears to advertise itself as a “non-denominational organization” of about 40 Oregon churches.
Yeah they're all like this. The churches vary by name but not philosophy. My last housemate was on the street in Aberdeen, WA beforehand after running afoul of the local Mission. By working in their kitchen, performing maintenance, helping keep the peace, but not being willing to attend services.
I guess there’s a reason The Wobblies used to call them The Starvation Army back in the day. Different century, same sensibilities. For reference: open.spotify.com/track/6UEl59...
God. Fuck. My family's church (SW Ontario) is some kind of (sane) Baptist, and I used to help out in the kitchen for their monthly "feed people (esp. homeless) chili" night, and nobody gave me shit for not coming to church. Maybe b/c I'm the daughter of their tech guy! But I hope not just that.
I was raised (by my ordained pastor Mom) to give /extreme/ side-eye to non-denominationalists. Not even enough standards and intra-church goodwill to be Southern Baptists? Presumed to be sociopaths.
There are a *lot* of churches too far out there for any kind of organized Baptist, these days. And they tend to grow, because there's nothing to restrain them from bleeding their parishioners dry to build shiny big buildings to attract new people.
For an organization claiming to be Christian, they sure do lack any idea of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They remind me of that GOP Jesus video by Friend Dog Studios. They would probably watch it and not get that its making fun of them.
(No joke, I maneuvered the local Mission's former Exec. Director into stating outright that he didn't think Jesus was GOOD ENOUGH. GOD I wish some board members had been present to witness THAT.)
17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Yep, and that was the whole purpose behind the sacrifice on the cross, to fulfill the old law (because humanity's imperfect sacrifices weren't enough) & establish a New Covenant between man & God.
(I had this stuff ramrodded into my skull for almost two years, I can recite it almost by heart now.)
The problem with that is that it's mostly from Paul, not the gospels.
But then I think it's all bullshit and have never been forced into it, so I have the enviable position to play around with it.
I remember the part in the Bible where Jesus says “For I was a stranger and you invited me in..”. Don’t remember Him talking about using Roman legionaries to force them in
